Free and Forced Vibration Characteristics Analysis of a Multispan Timoshenko Beam Based on the Ritz Method

The uniform formulation of dynamic vibration analysis of multispan beams is presented by using an efficient domain decomposition method in this paper. Firstly, the structure is divided into several equal sections based on domain decomposition method. Next, the artificial spring is used to simulate complex boundaries and continuity condition of multispan beam. Finally, the admissible displacement functions are expanded through Jacobi orthogonal polynomials, and the free and forced vibration characteristics of multispan beam structures can be obtained by using Rayleigh–Ritz method. Results for various boundary conditions, ratios of thickness to length (h/L), numbers, and stiffness of supporting springs are presented. It is clearly shown that accurate solutions can be obtained by using the proposed method, and this study extends the application range of the Jacobi polynomials-Ritz method. In addition, the research results of this paper can provide data support for engineers such as bridge designers to design multispan bridges.